Fencing method and means



Nov. 19, 1963 H. G. OLSON 3,111,303

' FENCING METHOD AND MEANS Filed July 7, 1961 INVENTOR.

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3,lll,3 3- Patented Nov. 19, 1963 FENCENG METHOD AND MEANS Harold G. {)lson, New York, ELY. (hurritts Landing, Westport, Conn.) Filed July 7, 1961, Ser. No. 122,582 2. Claims. {CL 25619) This invention relates to fences and more particularl to a fence utilizing a flexible web or sheet to span between support members.

The support members comprise a series of spaced-apart elongated post units of a type such as is disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,872,161, and which are adapted to hold taut the flexible material forming the dividing or enclosing wall of the fence. The flexible web or sheet material is one resistant to the elements, light weight, and color fast, and may comprise, for example, nylon or glass fibers.

The thin, flexible length of material may have a relatively little tear strength. For that reason, in the fastening of it to the fence post units there are done away with the usual perforating nails, screws, wires, or the like.

This has heretofore been accomplished by utilizing for the fence post units a plurality of spaced-apart members joined by disks or connectors such that the fencing material can be lapped and wrapped in a way to hold or bind to the supporting units. More particularly, the flexible web is converionally passed or wound reversely between and then around tie several paralel members of the post unit, and the tensioning of the fencing material at each side of that unit serves to bind it frictionally to the unit. in the assembly of a complete fence the material is, of course, run from one post unit to the next with the securing process being repeated at each, except that at the ends or terminations the fencing material may be wrapped around the post units and then secured to itself, as by heat sealing.

A problem arising with fences of the type here concerned is that the flexible sheet or web material will stretch and expand in length, with the passage of time, and by reason of the tensioning forces exerted thereon by the winds, and by persons and things. Being inelastic, the sheet will resultantly slacken or sag, and so become iiielfective as well as unsightly. And as the gripping action of each post connection depends upon the tensioned condition of the spanning material at each side of that connection, a slack condition of one span will tend to be passed along to the next and so to eventually wea llesultantly then, to cope with or cure this stretching sagging of the sheet or web it is heretofore necessary to re-string the entire fence.

Under this invention, the foregoing difiiculty is overcome by provision for control and adjustment of the sheet tensioning at each point of support. The instant fence design affords more particularly an improved post u1..t construction having capacity novelly for rotation in place, and by means of which the tension of individual spans may be selectively adjusted.

The novel fence post units of this invention are distinguished further by a capacity for positively engaging or clamping a flexible sheet, and thereby preventing the transmission of a slack condition from one span to another, while still permitting the ready manipulation of the sheet material at each as for facilitating th aforementioned teusioning adjustment, and also for altering the direction or extent of the fence.

An additional related advantage of the invention construction is that the flexible sheet may be selectively positioned at various heights on the supporting post units, and can be self-supported in any desired one of such height- 2 adjusted positions without the use of additional fastening means.

Yet another feature of the invention is the provision of a fence assembly which is portable, which may be put up and taken down by hand or without any special tools, and which is adaptable to any location and adjustable to any desired arrangement on a location. The last mentioned properties of the portability and adjustability make the instant fence one ideally suited for use as an enclosure for swimming pools, game areas, or entertainment areas, and as a divider or partition between spaces or compartments as of indoor or outdoor expositions and the like.

in the accompanying drawings:

*lG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in which a fence span is shown held in a slackened condition between a pair of post units;

*IG. 2 is a perspective view of a FIG. 1 fence shown with one of the posts demounted and rotated and with the flexible sheet of the span having been brought thereby to a taut condition;

PEG. 3 shows a modified form of the fence post unit; .nd,

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 44 of Referring to the drawing, my improved fence comprises a continuous length of sheet or web material 11, herein denominated fencing material, and a series of fence post means or units 12 supportively engaging the sheet material at any number of locations spaced as desired along its length. Fencing material 1'1 is desirably colorfast, resistant to the elements, and of a high tensile strength. It may he fashioned, for example, of polyethylene, nylon, glass fibers or of one of the vinyl resins.

Post units 12 are removably supported in the indicated pright position by conformant, close fitting ground-inserted receptacles or sockets 13 into which are placed the lower ends of the post units, and which are seen to be disposed along the course of the fence at a spacing such that the post units 12 and also the fencing material 11 strung therehetween are upheld.

Under the invention, the post units 12 securely engage and support the flexible fencing material 11 in spread or taut condition and at a determined height above the ground. To accomplish this, each post 12 comprises a plurality of parallel, close-together post elements 14 joined at their upper ends by a body portion 15'. The elements l4 preferably are spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of the fencing mate rial 11, and they are longer than the material is wide. So that once the materim has been threaded between the elements 1 of a given post 12, in the manner disclosed in PEG. 4, for example, the post elements 14 may, by pressing together their lower or unconnected ends below sheet 11, be made to squeeze and clamp the sheet in place between and at a given elevation on the elements.

As shown at the left of FIG. 2, the bottom extremities of the post elements may be tapered as at 15 to facilitate mounting and adjusting the posts, and the sockets 13 are so proportioned that the squeezing and clamping together is accomplished by or coincident with the inserting of a post 12 into its ground support. Thus, when the entire fence is erected, the sheet material 11 is securely clamped in place at, and in that way positively connected to, each post 12 so that a slack or loose condition as may exist in one span is not permitted to loosen an adjacent post connection and thereby to transmit itself through to any other span of the fence. But when a post 12 is lifted from its support 13, the post elements 14 will spring-return to their normal close-spread condition, whereby the material is free to slide through the post, and the post enabled to be adjustably positioned lengthwise of the material as hereinafter to be mentioned.

Each post means 12 may be constructed conveniently from a solid piece of metal, Woodor plastic in which are cut or molded parallel slots extending from one end of the piece for a distance to accomrnodate the desired Width of fencing material 11. Alternatively, the post units may be hollow and be rolled or extruded to the desired shape or form. And although in the illustrated embodiment each post 12 comprises three post elements 14, two or four or more of the clamping elements 14 may be used on each post to provide different numbers and arrangements of the slots through all or some of which the sheet material 11 may be variously threaded, within the invention.

The post means 12 may also be provided at their closed ends or body portions 15 with caps which dress up the appearance of the fence as well as facilitate the manipulation of the posts, and have exemplary illustration herein as the discs 17.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a modified fence post 18 which is slit from its top end for forming three parallel, closetogether post elements 19 connected by a lower body portion 20 which is tapered and inserted into the ground support 13. The fencing material 11 is inserted between the elements 19 as before and is engaged and clamped in place when the elements are gripped and forced together, herein by a recessed cap 21 removably fitted over the top or unengaged ends of the post elements. In this form of my invention then, the post elements are unclamped for sheet adjustment simply by removing the top cap 21. Because of the indicated reversing of the solid and slit ends of the post unit it will be seen that this FIGS. 3 and 4 form is further advantaged in that the fencing material 11 is clamped in place and a set spacing of the posts 18 along the material is maintained even when the fence is moved or taken down.

Further in accordance with my invention, means are provided for differently positioning each post 12, 18 about its own longitudinal axis and with respect to a support 13 even after the fence is installed, and to effect a shortening or tightening of a sagging span or from the slackened condition of FIG. 1 to the tensioned condition of FIG. 2.

More particularly, each post 12, 18 is rotatable with respect to its support for in effect drawing or gathering the fencing material towards it, and co-acting means are provided on the posts and supports for maintaining a post in any given rotated position. That is accomplished by forming the interfitting surfaces of the posts 12, 18 and sockets 13 with any non-round, herein polyhedrous configuration, with the posts and sockets of any given fence assembly being of course symmetrically formed and also positioned so that the several posts of the fence may have corresponding adjusted positions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the posts and supports have hexagonal cross-sections. But if a greater selection of adjusted positions is desired, posts and supports having eight or ten sides may be utilized. Alternatively to achieve the same result, one may use four sided posts with eight sided sockets or some other combination of interfitting shapes.

To re-state the adjustment in use of the fence, a tightening of a particular sagging span of material may be accomplished by removing far enough to permit its rotation or in other words disengaging from its support one of the posts adjacent the sagging span and partially rotating that angularly about its own longitudinal axis and with respect to the support until a sufficient length of fencing material is drawn toward or more particularly wrapped about that post to effect the desired shortening and tensioning of the sagging span. When the desired degree of tightness has been achieved, the post 12, 18 is simply positioned symmetrically with and then inserted again into its support, whereupon the interfitting face portions of the post and support re-engage and secure 7 4 the post against rotation and preserve the tensioned condition of the span.

It will be appreciated that where there are to be removed relatively large sags, it may be necessary or desirable to slide the length of the sheet i=1 through the post 12, 18 prior to the aforementioned post rotation to accomplish which one need merely unclamp the post elements, as already described.

it will be understood also that the same invention fence can be moved about to enclose areas of any shape. For this, ground supports 13 are disposed about the area to be enclosed, and the individual fence posts .12, 18 are disengaged or unclamped as described above and moved along the sheet or web until they correspond with the supports. Excess fencing material between the posts can be taken up, and these spans shortened and tensioned by manipulating selected posts as described above prior to positioning them in their supports. Any extra posts can be removed or moved to and secured at one end of the fence.

in the illustrated embodiment, ground supports 13 comprise hollow concrete shells having inside wall portions shaped and formed to provide the aforementioned noncircular walls or faces for interfitting and coacting with the similar walls or faces of fence posts 12,18. These ground supports 13 may have suitable openings in their bottom walls for providing for drainage of rain water, and if desired, a conventional latch or lock means may be provided on them for locking the posts against unwanted removal from the supports.

'In lieu of the holders 13, upright support may be provided by noncircular metal sockets or by sockets formed directly in the ground or surface on which the fence is to be erected. Sockets may thus be molded in the cement apron around a swimming pool, or recessed in the wooden floor of a hall or gymnasium, or more generally in any ground of suflicient firmness to provide the necessary resistance to unwanted post rotation. And if desired, these sockets can be fitted over with caps or plugs whenever the fence is taken down.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fence: flexible sheet fencing material; at least three spaced-apart elongated polyhedrous posts, each of said posts being slitted from one end a substantial distance along its length and having its other end remaining intact to form a plurality of distinct, parallel, close-together resilient post elements, said post elements being spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of and for receiving therebetween said sheet material, said post elements also having their lower extremities inwardly tapered to form a pointed wedge at the bottom of each of said posts; at least three polyhedrous ground receptacles conforming to and for receiving the slitted ends of said posts, said receptacles being only slightly smaller in cross-sectional area than said posts whereby the slitted ends of said posts can be gradually wedged into said receptacles thereby fixing said posts in positions of angular adjustment with respect to their ilongitudinal axes and squeezing together and compressing said post elements so that they engage and grip the entire width of the spanning sheet material for supporting that in a taut and spread condition.

2. A fence as defined in claim 1, and a cap member mounted on the top of each of said posts, said cap member extending appreciably out beyond the sides of said post for facilitating said adjustment of said post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 272,090 Schmoele Feb. 13, 1883 337,591 Lee Mar. 9, 1886 458,028 Weiennett Aug. 18, 1891 1,000,682 Lane Aug. 15, 1911 1,027,109 Dunn May 21, 1912 2,872,161 Olson *Feb. 3, 1959 

1. IN A FENCE: FLEXIBLE SHEET FENCING MATERIAL; AT LEAST THREE SPACED-APART ELONGATED POLYHEDROUS POSTS, EACH OF SAID POSTS BEING SLITTED FROM ONE END A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ALONG ITS LENGTH AND HAVING ITS OTHER END REMAINING INTACT TO FORM A PLURALITY OF DISTINCT, PARALLEL, CLOSE-TOGETHER RESILIENT POST ELEMENTS, SAID POST ELEMENTS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE ONLY SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF AND FOR RECEIVING THEREBETWEEN SAID SHEET MATERIAL, SAID POST ELEMENTS ALSO HAVING THEIR LOWER EXTREMITIES INWARDLY TAPERED TO FORM A POINTED WEDGE AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH OF SAID POSTS; AT LEAST THREE POLYHEDROUS GROUND RECEPTACLES CONFORMING TO AND FOR RECEIVING THE SLITTED ENDS OF SAID POSTS, SAID RECEPTACLES BEING ONLY SLIGHTLY SMALLER IN CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA THAN SAID POSTS WHEREBY THE SLITTED ENDS OF SAID POSTS CAN BE GRADUALLY WEDGED INTO SAID RECEPTACLES THEREBY FIXING SAID POSTS IN POSITIONS OF ANGULAR ADJUSTMENT WITH RESPECT TO THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES AND SQUEEZING TOGETHER AND COMPRESSING SAID POST ELEMENTS SO THAT THEY ENGAGE AND GRIP THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE SPANNING SHEET MATERIAL FOR SUPPORTING THAT IN A TAUT AND SPREAD CONDITION. 